Kate & Mim-Mim: Kate in Oz

28/10/2016

The kids are becoming rather too used to preview screenings of films and I’m pretty sure they think that all cinemas have face painters permanently in the lobby and goodie bags when you leave. I fear they may be disappointed next time we take them to our local cinema to see something. Last Saturday was a bit different though as rather than a film, this time we were the guests of Fremantle Media to see a preview of a special edition of Kate and Mim-Mim which is due to air on CBeebies on the 19th October.

Kate in Oz sees Kate and Mim-Mim swapping Mimiloo for the land of Oz in this special episode, with the story based on the Wizard of Oz. Now Little Miss C absolutely loves the Wizard of Oz. We saw a pantomime version of it whilst on holiday last year and then I managed to pick up a DVD version of the original film which she goes through phases of watching on repeat. I was therefore pretty sure that Kate in Oz was going to be a big hit with her.

In Kate in Oz we meet young witch Violet (voiced by the fantastic Cat Deeley) who is determined to steal all he purple in Oz – and that of course includes Kate and Mim-Mim’s twirl magic. Cue an adventure for Kate and Mim-Mim (and their friends from Mimiloo) as they try to find the Wizard of Oz to get their twirl magic back.

Now, I have to admit that, as with many other CBeebies programmes, it’s rare that I sit down and watch a whole episode of Kate and Mim-Mim. Often I’m busy in the kitchen whilst the kids watch and I have one ear listening out for it. It was therefore interesting to sit for 20+ minutes and actually focus on the programme. Both LMC and Master C enjoy Kate and Mim-Mim and I actually enjoyed this episode more than I was expecting to. I think that Kate is quite a good role model for girls, and it’s nice to see a female character in a title role like this. Mim-Mim also somehow seemed funkier (if that’s the right word) and funnier than I had remembered him being.

The storyline was good with lots of nice songs in it that the children seemed to enjoy. There were a few moments that some children found a tad scary but my two seemed to get over it quite quickly. Overall though they loved the programme and were actually really excited to hear that it was going to be on TV soon so they could watch it again.

The kids thought the screening itself was fantastic. Not only could they have their faces painted before the programme, but they also got Kate and Mim-Mim biscuits and had craft activities to do and on the way out they received goodie bags which included a fantastic pair of Mim-Mim ears. Cat from CBeebies also introduced the event and to be honest I think LMC was as excited about seeing her as she was about seeing a giant Mim-Mim!

If you have Kate and Mim-Mim fans at home then definitely make sure you catch Kate in Oz.

Kate and Mim-Mim: Kate in Oz screens on CBeebies at 10.35am on Saturday 29th October 2016.

Disclaimer: We were invited to the world premier of Kate in Oz by Fremantle Media and the children received goodie bags whilst there. All opinions remain my own.